Love Me Like I'm Not Made Of Stone
by Out-of-Character217
Summary: They may be warriors, but they are also men. Underneath their hardened skins, lies a heart that cannot hide.


**A/N: **These are basically just little bits that have come fluttering to mind when I see the odd snaffle of inspiration here and there, but have no real place in any story or are too incomplete to make into something bigger. I've managed to weave them into something of a snapshot, if you will, of Cloud and Leon's tentative relationship. It's not the first time I've written something like it, nor with it probably be the last.

As always, Enjoy. Xxx

The song is by Lykke Li from her amazing album I Never Learn. I strongly suggest giving it a listen.

* * *

"_A devil's hand across my heart,  
As we dance through the dark.  
So go ahead, go ahead,  
Love me deep, until you can't._

_Even though it hurts, even though it scars,_  
_Love me when it storms, love me when I fall,_  
_Every time it breaks, every time its torn,_  
_Love me like I'm not made of stone,_  
_Love me like I'm not made of stone."_

* * *

**Love Me Like I'm Not Made Of Stone**

'You can move, you know.' Cloud rumbled quietly, his voice low and soft, hushed with reverence and awe as he shifted his hips a little in encouragement. His lips curved into the ghost of a smile, he looked up through the darkness at the man above him, split with shadow and light and saw the man's eyes flash with something: a moment of quiet: of surety and peace and steady confidence.

'I know. I just… wanted to wait a minute.' Leon confessed, his own little embarrassed smile lighting the gloom. 'You know… to savour the moment.'

A golden eyebrow arched high up into blond bangs and a soft exhale of breath that might have been laughter stirred the hair that hung around Leon's face. Lowering himself to his elbows, he shifted his hips closer, the action drawing Cloud's chin upwards to expose his long, pale neck as a ripple of pleasure chased its way along his spine.

Reaching down, Leon kissed him there, soft lips pressed to a lightly stubbled chin, and he rocked himself again, feeling the gentle squeeze of legs around his hips answer his caress.

* * *

'You look tired.'

Leon looked up from under dark chocolate bangs and heavy eyelids, the weight of his exhaustion and the man's words sitting heavily along his shoulders.

'I am.' He replied, uncaring about appearance and stoicism. There was no need for those things around this man. He turned back to the counter at the sound of the kettle clicking off, the hot steam hitting his cheek as it finished boiling.

Cloud cast his knowing eye over the kitchen table, the blueprints laid out on it and the mound of paperwork scattered about the normally immaculate kitchen. More refugees meant more work, meant long hours and little sleep, meant someone had to take charge and find a place for them all in their growing city. Sometimes, Cloud thought Leon shouldered too much, though, he was hardly one to preach. So he wouldn't.

Pressing himself up against the brunet's back he brushed the hair away from the back of his neck and placed his lips there. Breathing in deeply just once, he coiled an arm around Leon's waist and muttered quietly, pressing another kiss to the skin under his mouth.

'Come to bed then.'

A warm hand settled over his and squeezed lightly in return.

'I will; soon.' He promised.

Cloud rested his cheek against the man's broad back and nodded, knowing better than to argue.

'Don't be long.'

'Promise.' Leon responded, watching over his shoulder as Cloud let go and climbed the stairs, disappearing into the darkness of their bedroom alone, once again.

* * *

'You know I have to.' There was a note of warning in Cloud's words and Leon knew he was close to getting shut out. If he pushed any harder, Cloud would leave and there would be this bitterness between them until he returned. Cloud would leave anyway, but that was beside the point.

'I know, it's just…' Leon struggled. He always did. What were the words he needed? What was it he wanted to say, to convey exactly _why? _

A rough, scarred hand reached up and rubbed an awkward thumb over Cloud's cheek, smearing the raindrops over the cold flesh.

'I don't _want_ you to.' He replied feeling childish. Maybe this was why he hated talking. Every time he opened his mouth, his childish desires and wants somehow found their way out: a dreadful affliction for a grown man.

'I'll come back.' Cloud returned, the hard edge in his voice softening slightly.

'So you say.' Leon shot back, letting his hand fall away. His words reignited that stubborn fire in Cloud's eyes.

'Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?'

Leon scoffed, uncaring that he was pushing the man in front of him further towards that bitter goodbye.

'You weren't even going to tell me you were leaving.' Leon snapped, indifferent towards getting caught in the rain just as much as he was angry at the blond's disregard for him – for _them._

The kiss startled Leon, whose pounding heart quickened momentarily only to slow to a strong and steady beat the longer Cloud lingered.

Pulling away, leaving behind the taste of himself and the rain, Cloud softened his stare and hardened his heart.

'I'll come back.' He reaffirmed, wanting, needing Leon to understand.

With a small nod and a downcast look, Leon relented, still unhappy but resolute.

'I'll be waiting then.' He replied, turning away first for once, and walked back towards the centre of town.

* * *

Bright eyes found their mark through the crowds and smoke. The dark haired man was sat at a corner table, laughing, bottle of beer in hand. The moment was interjected with people passing in front of him, but Cloud's gaze never wavered.

Leon hadn't noticed him yet, his laughter and smile completely unconscious as Cloud continued to watch and commit it to memory: every line, every soft curve. The way his shoulders hunched and shook with mirth, the way he placed a hand across his heart, the way his eyes darkened and danced.

The sound of the door shutting behind him returned him to the room and breathing in the scents of the bar, the comfort of the alcohol soaked wood and the smoky wafts of stale air, the sounds of laughter and easy company, and Leon: the centre of everything.

He was home.

* * *

The bedroom was dark and still, the quietness cut through with soft breathing and nothing else. Leon laid on his side, watching and thinking, his body sated and replete, the man next to him firmly in the hold of sleep.

Cloud lay facing him, his features partly obscured by messy bangs and the soft pillow, the line of his shoulder and arm hazy and bluish in the dimness. Leon reached out, snaking his hand under Cloud's palm and wove his fingers with the younger man's.

_You can move, you know._ Cloud's words rang in his recent memory and with his other hand he reached up to brush away the obscuring strands of hair. That was Cloud's problem, Leon thought. He was always in too much of a rush – too eager to move. Leon had learned the value of stopping to appreciate what was in front of him a long time ago. Life was too short, too temporary, and too fragile. Life was too fickle, changing in a heartbeat. Moments that mattered, that struck the heart and made him feel, they were the ones worth taking a little time over.

Shuffling closer, he ran a hand down Cloud's side stopping at his hip to caress it lightly, enjoying the feel of skin and heat and weight – enjoying the feel of somebody there, with him.

Squeezing the lax fingers cradled in his hand, he brought them to his lips and kissed the knuckles. Closing his eyes he let the comforting sensations of heat and soft breath and warm skin settle him, and let the moment pass, before he fell into sleep and the small hours of dawn.

* * *

"_Love me hard until it heats,  
Will you love my scars so I can heal?_

_Even though it hurts, baby, scars._  
_Love me when I fall, it breaks baby, it's torn baby, every storm._

_Love me like I'm not made of stone_  
_Love me like I'm not made of stone_  
_Love me like I'm not made of stone."_

Love Me Like I'm Not Made Of Stone – Lykke Li.


End file.
